{"id":"duplicates.why-is-my-cloud-duplicate-scan-taking-so-long","url":"/faq/duplicates/why-is-my-cloud-duplicate-scan-taking-so-long","category":{"id":"duplicates","title":"Duplicate files"},"subcategory":{"id":"cloud-duplicates","title":"Duplicates in cloud accounts"},"question":"Why is my cloud duplicate scan taking so long?","alt_questions":["Cloud duplicate scan still scanning","Still scanning — more may appear","Google Drive duplicate scan slow","Reading files checked count keeps going up","Is the cloud duplicate scan stuck?"],"short_answer":"Your provider has to list every file, and big accounts hold a lot of them, so most of the time is spent waiting on the provider. Duplicates appear as they're found, usually within about a minute, and the files-checked count keeps rising while it works.","answer_markdown":"Because Storage Studio has to ask your provider to list every file in the account, and a large account can hold hundreds of thousands of them. Most of the time is spent waiting on the provider, not on your Mac.\n\nYou don't have to wait for the end: duplicates appear as they're found, usually within about a minute, and the list says **Still scanning — more may appear.** The status line keeps counting up — *\"Reading … — … files checked\"* — so you can see it's working. You can switch to other sources meanwhile; each account scans independently.","answer_html":"

Because Storage Studio has to ask your provider to list every file in the account, and a large account can hold hundreds of thousands of them. Most of the time is spent waiting on the provider, not on your Mac.

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You don't have to wait for the end: duplicates appear as they're found, usually within about a minute, and the list says Still scanning — more may appear. The status line keeps counting up — "Reading … — … files checked" — so you can see it's working. You can switch to other sources meanwhile; each account scans independently.

","answer_text":"Because Storage Studio has to ask your provider to list every file in the account, and a large account can hold hundreds of thousands of them. Most of the time is spent waiting on the provider, not on your Mac.\n\nYou don't have to wait for the end: duplicates appear as they're found, usually within about a minute, and the list says Still scanning — more may appear. The status line keeps counting up — \"Reading … — … files checked\" — so you can see it's working. You can switch to other sources meanwhile; each account scans independently.","tags":["duplicates","cloud","speed"],"related":[{"id":"duplicates.why-does-my-cloud-duplicate-scan-say-partial-view","question":"Why does my cloud duplicate scan say \"partial view\"?","url":"/faq/duplicates/why-does-my-cloud-duplicate-scan-say-partial-view"},{"id":"duplicates.how-long-does-a-duplicate-scan-take","question":"How long does a duplicate scan take?","url":"/faq/duplicates/how-long-does-a-duplicate-scan-take"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Why is my cloud duplicate scan taking so long? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"Your provider has to list every file, and big accounts hold a lot of them, so most of the time is spent waiting on the provider. Duplicates appear as they're found, usually within about a minute, and the files-checked count keeps rising while it works.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Duplicate files","path":"/faq/duplicates/"},{"name":"Why is my cloud duplicate scan taking so long?","path":"/faq/duplicates/why-is-my-cloud-duplicate-scan-taking-so-long"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/why-is-my-cloud-duplicate-scan-taking-so-long","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why is my cloud duplicate scan taking so long?","alternateName":["Cloud duplicate scan still scanning","Still scanning — more may appear","Google Drive duplicate scan slow","Reading files checked count keeps going up","Is the cloud duplicate scan stuck?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Because Storage Studio has to ask your provider to list every file in the account, and a large account can hold hundreds of thousands of them. Most of the time is spent waiting on the provider, not on your Mac.\n\nYou don't have to wait for the end: duplicates appear as they're found, usually within about a minute, and the list says Still scanning — more may appear. The status line keeps counting up — \"Reading … — … files checked\" — so you can see it's working. You can switch to other sources meanwhile; each account scans independently.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/duplicates/why-is-my-cloud-duplicate-scan-taking-so-long"}}]},"fragment":"
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Duplicate files · Duplicates in cloud accounts

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Why is my cloud duplicate scan taking so long?

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Short answer: Your provider has to list every file, and big accounts hold a lot of them, so most of the time is spent waiting on the provider. Duplicates appear as they're found, usually within about a minute, and the files-checked count keeps rising while it works.

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Because Storage Studio has to ask your provider to list every file in the account, and a large account can hold hundreds of thousands of them. Most of the time is spent waiting on the provider, not on your Mac.

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You don't have to wait for the end: duplicates appear as they're found, usually within about a minute, and the list says Still scanning — more may appear. The status line keeps counting up — "Reading … — … files checked" — so you can see it's working. You can switch to other sources meanwhile; each account scans independently.

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